Attributing the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) electoral defeat to the party’s political strategy unit Populus Empowerment Network (PEN) is an 'oversimplification', the group’s founder Sabarisan Vedamurthy said. Sabarisan, who is also the son-in-law of party chief MK Stalin, said this in a statement issued on Monday, May 18.
While welcoming criticism for its failure, the PEN founder added, “Over the past few days, I have noticed several attempts to place significant responsibility for the recent electoral outcome on PEN and its functioning. While criticism and public scrutiny are natural in a democracy and are indeed welcome, oversimplifying a large political outcome into one narrative isn't useful, because it simply doesn't reflect reality.”
Since its electoral loss on May 4, many including DMK’s own cadres have publicly held PEN responsible for the loss. Out of the 164 seats it contested, the DMK won only 59 seats, securing a vote share of 24.19%.
TNM in its newsletter Powertrip had earlier reported that many DMK leaders, especially Udhayanidhi Stalin, blamed PEN substantially for the party’s poor performance in the elections.
Critics said that PEN failed to accurately assess the ground situation and strategise accordingly. In the elections, the DMK suffered a huge upset as even former CM Stalin lost from Kolathur. Following this, questions were raised over how PEN failed to gauge the ground situation, and demands were made to snap any association with the organisation and rehaul the party’s political strategy.
Responding to criticism, Sabarisan said that PEN is considering these views responsibly.
“We respect the people's verdict with humility. Elections in a democracy are shaped by multiple political, social, organisational, and public factors. At this moment, our focus is not on blame or speculation, but on listening, learning, and evolving. We eagerly welcome genuine feedback, constructive criticism, and meaningful suggestions from the cadre, supporters, well-wishers, and the public.”
He urged stakeholders to “avoid misinformation, personal targeting, and unverified narratives that distract from healthy democratic discussion.”
Sabarisan said that PEN was created with the intention of “strengthening communication, engaging with people digitally, and bringing modern outreach methods into political engagement.”
Citing Stalin’s humble acceptance of the electoral outcome by shouldering the blame for the defeat, Sabarisan said that PEN is committed to “listening deeply, understanding our shortcomings honestly, and moving forward with a renewed sense of purpose and growth.”
